Friday, November 4, 2011

The Secret Places

Where shall I go from your spirit?or where shall I flee from your presence?

If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there.

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;even the night shall be light about me. Psalms 139:7-11

Today we will discuss a plan for Absolute and Certain Victory over any and all of the temptations of the world. Read: Psalms 139

For all of us, there is a point of testing. It is when we are in the dark; behind closed doors; in the privacy of our own home; in our private thoughts; watching a movie; reading a book; or on the computer. The temptation could come from a friend, a loved one, a total stranger, or a group we have joined.

Our enemy the devil knows each of us and where we are most likely to fail. He also knows the three areas where we are all most likely to stumble and fall: lust of the flesh; lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Satan will attack with a thought … "you are safe from view here" ... he might bring this thought to mind: "no one will ever know." But he is the father of lies. He knows that the Creator of all things is everywhere and God knows and sees all things. We are never out of the presence of the Lord. Knowing that he is always with us, is our source of strength; and it is also the most compelling fact that we need to bring to mind in order to be able to reject the evil one.

If God is with me, who can stand against me?

If you come under temptation, you only must meditate on these verses and this post and your attacker will flee. Thinking back, there are many times that I wish I would have had this scripture nearby. Print this post and have it ready in order to have victory over temptation … always.

O lord, you have searched me, and known me. What does it mean to say God has searched you and known you? We can only consider the idea of searching from a human perspective. We can only look at a person and see what is on the outside. If we looked at your checkbook for a month, we would learn much more. Testimony from your family, friends, and co-workers might give us a great report, but do they really know you? A look through your notes and your emails will reveal where you have been … but have I really searched you and known you? The fact is that until I know your heart and mind I might think I know you, but I don’t really know you …

Only you and your Creator are always there in The Secret Places.

Think about it, God the creator actually sees you in ways ... that you cannot even see yourself.

He understands the motives of your heart ... motives that you may never have even considered.

He can see you at the molecular or DNA level and He can view it all from beginning to end and simultaneously. He knows every thought, decision, action, victory, good deed, disappointment and sin from the beginning to the end.

God is the only one who knows you better than you know yourself ... yes He infinitely knows you better than you know yourself.

He is watching you at this very moment and every moment ... forever.

There is nothing you can ever do to escape from his view. Knowing this fact ... now sin no longer seems the least bit appealing … does it?

Does this feel like a guilt trip? I hope not. But if so ... so be it. This is actually the ultimate reality trip ... but us humans quite often don't want reality.

You know my sitting down and my rising up, you understand my thought afar off. Let’s try and expand on that amazing truth. Sleeping and awakening, walking, talking, resting, working, playing and … thinking. Now that’s the big one: thinking. No one besides maybe our spouse or our closest friends can even guess at what we might be thinking at any moment.

But God KNOWS our thoughts every one of them ... from beginning to end.

As we try to understand the comparison; here's an insight: our understanding is one dimensional, and God’s understanding is all dimensional, all the time.

When you are talking, he knows your next thought before you think it and then you say it. He knows all of your thoughts: past, present, and future. Even for a molecular scientist, that must be mind boggling.

You compass my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Here is an interesting Truth, God compasses our path. In other words, when we are walking by the power of the Holy Spirit, He is considering our path and guiding our thoughts in the righteous direction. He knows we will be tempted along the way, and provides a way of escape. He then provides provisions and a safe place of rest for us. He knows all of our ways, our needs, our challenges, our strengths and our aches and pains. He will always prod us to the highest and best uses of our gifts and talents.

When we walk by the spirit we have an internal guidance system that will direct us supernaturally, always on the best path … if we are only willing to listen and follow.

For there is not a word in my tongue, but, see, O LORD, you know it altogether. As I write to you now, not a single word have I considered that God has not already filtered through his mind. As I meditate on His truth he will speak to you through the words that are written. In Him, I have no imagination, there is only His Truth. He knows what you will think and how it will apply to you before you even read the words. The word “altogether” is beyond imagination. He has already seen this post in its finality. He reads it along with every person and anticipates their reaction before the beginning.

Sound a little like the twilight zone here? Well, the things of the Spirit are supernatural; what do you expect?

You have beset me behind and before, and laid your hand on me. The word beset is an interesting one. It basically means God’s got you covered from all directions. Consider yourself to be a soldier in a battle and your comrades are in front, behind and on both sides of you. If you should become afraid and attempt to flee your friends will catch you in any direction, and hold you on the best course to defeat the enemy. His hand and His Word will pull me towards the path of righteousness. In order to make a conscious decision to sin, we must choose to disregard the course God has ordained for us and force another way. The Holy Spirit will bring us under great conviction.

God knows clearly every step we take, every right step and every wrong step. He knows what rule we walk by, what end we walk toward, and what company we walk with. When I walk in darkness, God knows the motivations of my heart.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain to it. Although we cannot attain it through the wisdom of the world or by the teachings of men; As Christians, God has given us His Word of Truth, and the Holy Spirit to guide us. If only all mankind were to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, all of the problems of the world would end in defeat. Jesus has promise us God will send us a helper: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but you know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:16-17

Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Psalms 139:7-10

Since the Holy Spirit abides within us, He is always with us. If you choose to walk in the ways of the evil one the Holy Spirit is there with you. He knows. Even though you might take the most care to be discreet and hide your sin, God knows it all … He was there with you, every second, every moment, every evil thought, every evil word, every evil act … He knows all, He is always there with you. He walks on water, he walks through walls, and the lock on the door is never big enough to keep Him out. He has bought and paid for you at a very high price. He sees you. And in spite of this Truth: that He knows it all from the beginning of time ...

God came down from heaven in the form of a man and willingly allowed for Himself to be crucified for your sins: past, present and future. Don’t do it. Follow the righteous path, and live the victory with Christ.

If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yes, the darkness hides not from you; but the night shines as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to you. You have covered me in my mother's womb. My substance was not hid from you, when I was made in secret, and curiously worked in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in your book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. Psalms 119:11-16

The darkness will never give you cover from God. But He will give you cover against the forces of evil. You cannot hide in the dark from God. Even though it might be pitch black, for God it is the brightest day possible. He sees everything with perfect vision and nothing is hidden. There is no darkness in God’s eternal kingdom. In your mother’s womb He sees you from the beginning through the end and He knows your every thought … even when your mother can only hope and imagine … He knew your name, the one your parents gave you, even before they knew.

There you have it Gods Words that will give your the courage to stand firm with Him as your defense against evil.

Now, are the temptations of the evil one still troubling you? Simply pray this simple prayer of David, and the Savior will provide a perfect place of rest for you; and He will lead you in the everlasting way.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. Psalms 119:23-24

2 comments:

ABSOLUTELY Love this post. I love Psalm 139 and discovered it in May of 2010 and it was incredible to read it in it's entirety. I had a very important decision to make, and for me, this Psalm became my biggest comfort. I am truly seeking to be a "Woman" after God's own heart.

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Paradox Principles ...

often contradict the wisdom of the world.Since we have been programmed by the world ...we have come to accept these worldly ideas as truth ...but when we consider God’s perspective ...we come to understand ..."the Lord's ways are not our ways"

Renew and Transform

Don't just read these writings ...meditate and pray over God's Word ...Listen to the Holy Spirit ...and be transformed by renewing your mind.He who died on our behalf wants you to ...allow the love of Christ to control you ...so that you might become ...the righteousness of God in Him.

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